Meet Lily Welsh

We were lucky to catch up with Lily Welsh recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lily, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

For years I thought I was a pretty terrible writer. I had so many imaginative ideas, and I loved the playful feeling of crafting stories. But It never really coalesced when I would write shorts for my creative writing classes in high school, or for my local playwrights festival. Most of what I wrote during that period was anonymous fan fiction where I used the premade worlds of other peoples stories to anonymously mess around. I didn’t understand the value of that at the time.

I first went to college to be an actor, something I still continue to be. But navigating that world was just as anxiety inducing. I leaned on my mentor a lot at that time, and it was at his suggestion that I take more control of this inadequacy I felt but writing my first play.

Before I put on my first play, my parents were very apprehensive about me going into the Arts. They often talked of “alternatives” and “fallback careers.”. After this play was produced, they never talked about that again. I’d like to say as I aged I saw the value in my own work, despite personal high standards and imperfections. But what actually aided me through the imposter syndrome of early years was support. From my mentor, from my parents, and all the people in my life who continue to hold up my work as something worth existing.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Lily Welsh, and I am a New York based theater artist. Over the past several years I have committed myself to the creation of theater both as a playwright and actor. I find that theater is a particularly versatile medium with a long and rich cultural history. It is the perfect vessel for imagination, activism, heritage, and beauty.

I graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in spring of 2021, where my main focus was theater and writing. The extensive theater program at Sarah Lawrence College allowed me to discover my talents in acting, playwriting, devising, directing, and even stage combat, while my time in London aided me in refining my skills. I have been a writer and performer my whole life, and my education by such professors as David Neuman, Melisa Tien, and Ernest Abuba has helped me grow as a professional artist. I am also an alumnus of the British American Drama Academy, having participated in their semester abroad program.

As a theater artist, I strive to create innovative theater that reflect my generation, while also containing enough universal themes to relate to all theater-goers. I enjoy exploring themes of self discovery, self love, and autonomy. I also love playing with aesthetics, writing in wild stage directions or adding music playlists in order to connect with the audience. What I love most about theater as a medium is it’s universality, which allows me to use whatever method I wish to create a desired emotional affect, the kind of connection that a viewer can feel deep in their core. For example, my play Cope in Wonder is a love letter to Jewish folklore, and a stark look at anxiety, queer identity, and bodily autonomy. It also has several dance numbers, stage fights, and was once presented almost entirely with puppets. The spectacle adds to the energy of the space, and playing with that energy is what made me fall in love with the arts.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with many other companies of artists to further develop my work. I am a company member of IVP, a theater company based around telling the stories of women and nonbinary people of history. I am also a founding member of Label Theater Company, a company dedicated to new works. In 2021 I became a recipient of the David Lindsay-Abaire award for playwriting. Most recently, my newest play, Bosie, was produced as a reading. This coming November, one of my more popular plays, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, will be staged at New York’s The Tank. Any readers interested in my work can look me up on New Play Exchange, as well as follow @Lily_Welsh2, @manicpixiedreamgirlplay, and @labeltheatreco on Instagram.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The thing I recommend most to other writers is to read everything. Read the great classics of literature, and the modern novel. Read short stories collections. Read novel from cultures you know nothing about. Read crappy fan fiction about your favorite TV show. Nothing has shaped my voice more than having a constant flow of inspiration.

Another skill I feel is important, especially to writers starting out, is to throw the rules of structure out the window. Writing seemed so inaccessible to me until I started to think about it the same way I would think about playing with my dolls as a kid. 6 year old me didn’t care about exposition! If my friends lost the plot I’d just explain what’s going on and keep going! My first play have 30 percent fourth wall breaks to explain what was going on and it was awesome. And it opened the door for me to experiment.

And most importantly, as a starving artist, the most impactful piece of knowledge I have, is that no one notices if you load up on food at the Whole Foods hot bar and then hold the sides of the box so the scale doesn’t register the full weight at self check out.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

The most important book I think I’ve ever read was Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. It taught me that the most human story could be wrapped in the most beautiful words. It taught me what language could do to curate emotions in the audience. It taught me that you could impart deep philosophy while still telling a story that, ultimately, is super silly.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Lily_Welsh2
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-welsh-553220202/
• Other: https://newplayexchange.org/users/62994/lily-welsh

Image Credits

Izzy Singer